Rate shaping in per-flow output queued routing mechanisms for statistical bit rate service

1. In a switch for a packet switched communication system, an apparatus for serially emitting packets of multiple time multiplexed flows in substantial compliance with network traffic contracts corresponding to the respective flows, at least one of said traffic contracts specifying a sustainable packet emission rate and a peak packet emission rate, said apparatus comprising: a queuing mechanism, said queuing mechanism organizing pending packets in respective queues in accordance with an oldest pending packet at head of queue order; and a scheduling mechanism coupled to said queuing mechanism including a non-work conserving calendar queue, said scheduling mechanism scheduling pending packets of respective flows on said non-work conserving calendar queue for emission (i) at said peak packet emission rate if the packets are being output at a rate less than said sustainable packet emission rate and (ii) at said sustainable packet emission rate if the packets are being output at a rate substantially equal to or greater than said sustainable packet emission rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said traffic contracts further specify a numerically quantifiable burst tolerance associated with said sustainable packet emission rate and said queues have depths selected to enforce said burst tolerance.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-working conserving calendar queue is a stalled virtual clock calendar queue.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein said packets are of uniform fixed bit length.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said packets are fixed byte length cells for asynchronous transfer mode communications.

6. A switch for a packet switched communication system including a traffic shaper for serially emitting packets of multiple time multiplexed flows in substantial compliance with individual network traffic contracts for the respective flows, at least one of said traffic contracts specifying a sustainable packet emission rate and a peak packet emission rate, said switch comprising: a queuing mechanism, said queuing mechanism organizing pending packets in respective queues in accordance with an oldest pending packet at a head of a queue order; and a scheduling mechanism coupled to said queuing mechanism including a relatively high priority non-work conserving calendar queue and a relatively low priority calendar queue, said scheduling mechanism scheduling pending packets of respective flow (i) on said low priority non-work conserving calendar queue at said peak packet emission rate if the packets are being output at a rate less than said sustainable packet emission rate and (ii) on said high priority non-work conserving calendar queue at said sustainable packet emission rate if the packets are being output at a rate substantially equal to or greater than said sustainable packet emission rate.

7. The switch of claim 6, wherein said non-work conserving calendar queues are stalled virtual clock calendar queues.

8. The switch of claim 7, wherein said traffic contracts further specify a burst tolerance associated with said sustainable packet emission rate and said queues have depths selected to enforce said burst tolerance.

9. The switch of claim 8, wherein said packets are of uniform, predetermined bit length.

10. The switch of claim 9, wherein said packets are fixed byte length cells for asynchronous transfer mode communications.

11. The switch of claim 7, wherein said packets are scheduled on said non-work conserving calendar queues for emission at virtual times.

12. The switch of claim 11, wherein emission intervals between packets scheduled for emission on said non-work conserving calendar queues are real-time offsets.